Kyler Murray, a five-star quarterback in the 2015 class, committed to Texas A&M on May 28. If it wasn’t for former Aggies star Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M never would have been a realistic option for the dual-threat gunslinger.

Murray has spent the past few days in Beaverton, Ore. for Nike’s Elite 11 quarterback competition, playing with the best of his peers, and learning from a host of experienced quarterbacks, including Manziel. In an interview with NFL.com, Murray recounted his recruitment and discussed the importance of Texas A&M’s Heisman winner.

Murray first saw Manziel play in person Sept. 8, 2012, when Manziel had 173 yards passing and rushed for 60 yards and a touchdown during a 20-17 loss to Florida. Prior to that day, Murray didn’t even like Texas A&M.

“I remember the first game [Manziel] played, against Florida. I didn’t even like Texas A&M at the time, I just went down there because my dad was getting honored. We were asking who the quarterback was. A&M hadn’t really had a quarterback in a while and then he did his thing,” Murray told NFL.com. “I first met him at the Elite 11 in Dallas before my sophomore year and got to talk with him. He already knew of me because of Kliff (Kingsbury, Texas A&M’s quarterback coach at the time) and because he follows Texas high school football.

“We kind of clicked and we’ve been cool ever since.”

Former college stars often have serious impacts on future recruits, but you’d likely be hard-pressed to name a player who has had a bigger effect on his collegiate program than Manziel’s had with the success of Texas A&M.